HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-04-16, Page 55Take care of your
outdoor furniture
Outdoor furniture requires some care
Outdoor furniture is carefully designed to
withstand five or more years of rugged use:
welded frames, baked -on plastic finish, '
vinyl with mildew inhibitors and ultraviolet
stabilizers, tough acrylic tabletops that
withstand up to 20 times the impact of glass.
110 A little care will ensure that your outdoor
furniture Lasts longer and looks better, ad-
vise the experts at a casual furniture
manufacturer. •
The No. 1 rule is to avoid abrasive
cleansers on all parts of your furniture. In-
stead, use a mild soap or detergent on a
regular basis to avoid buildup and remove
grease and stains. Periodic waxing of fur-
niture frames, or use of commercially
prepared protectants, will help prevent
stains from sun -tan lotions, etc., and will
make cleaning your furniture even easier.
Despite the baked -on plastic finishes on
aluminum furniture, scratches and chips
are unavoidable. Most casual fur-
nituremakers have touch-up paint available
for perfect match -up in handy spray cans.
If you decide to touch up your furniture,
be sure to thoroughly wash and dry any
areas to be painted (use mild detergent).
Then lightly sand the furniture with a fine
grade of sandpaper, until it feels smooth to
the touch. Brush off any particles of sand
and spray according to the directions on the
can of paint .
Straps and webbing will stay more supple
if you use a vinyl cleaner regularly. But oc-
casionally , a strap will be burned or cut and
will require replacement. Most manufac-
turers recommend having a professional
replace the type of straps that are made
with continuous lacing. Other styles are
easy to re -wrap, however, and straps are
sually available from the dealer or
manufacturer. Instruction pamphlets are
generally included with replacement
materials. If not, ask your salesperson for a
copy.
The only tool needed to replace webbing
and straps is a small hammer. You will also
need a pail of hot water. Dunk each strap in-
to the hot water to heat it, then stretch and
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weave it into place. The small rivets which
attach the straps can be lightly tapped into
the holes in the frame.
Tabletops should be cleaned just as -other
parts of your outdoor furniture. A regular
cleaning with mild soap or detergent will
prevent buildup of grease and stains. Minor
scratches on acrylic tops can be removed by
using a rubbing compound with a very light
touch. As always, avoid abrasive cleansers
which may scratch and mar your tabletops.
Redwood furniture is nearly indestructi-
ble but it does require periodic refinishing
with a polyurethane coating.
Lawn and mower should be
carefully checked in spring
Question: Yesterday I pulled up some
onions from my front lawn. Now, I've often
thought of planting a vegetable garden, but
I'm not sure my first crop would be onions.
What should I do?
Answer: Those weeds you found are wild
onions, sometimes called wild garlic, and
they can be as hard to control as a fox in the
hen house. Given free rein, wild onions can
ruin acres of wheat and oats. Just imagine
what a weed like that can do to 'your lawn!
For best results, harvest this crop before
it has a chance to spread. Once mature, wild
onions will grow like, well, weeds. At the
first sign of this troublemaker, treat your
lawn to several applications of a post -
emergence herbicide.
Question: Should I use an organic or syn-
thetic fertilizer on my lawn?
Answer: Before choosing either fertilizer,
weigh the pros and cons of each.
Organic fertilizers, which are made from
plant or animal wastes, are bulky, heavy
and generally hard to handle. They must be
applied in large doses at every feeding
because they contain a low percentage of
nitrogen. Also, organic fertilizers may be of-
fensive to sensitive noses.
In their favour is the fact that organic fer-
tilizers are slow acting, making it difficult to
over -fertilize your lawn. And in many rural
areas, they are inexpensive and easy to find.
Synthetic fertilizers are fast -acting and
predictable. Less fertilizer is used at each
application because most synthetics contain
a high percentage of nitrogen.
Those chemical ingredients could be
tough on your lawn. Apply too much and
you'll over -fertilize your lawn causing "fer-
tilizer burn."
Question: Spring cleaning time is on us
again. Should I treat my lawn mower to an
overhaul before the mowing season begins?
Answer: Check your operator's manual
for spring start-up procedures. The manual
should provide instructions for refueling,
cleaning the spark plug and setting the
breaker point gap. If the gap is closed, there
won't be the° spark that's needed to start the
engine.
For some mowers, you should lubricate
the grease fittings, check the transmission
fluid and battery, and inflate tires to the
recommended air pressure.
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